This rustic mediterranean dish is easy to prepare. Thick eggplant slices are shallow fried in a bit of olive oil and then gently simmered in a chunky tomato sauce. The yielding result is extreme melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.

If you have ever made Marcella Hazan’s glorious butter and onion tomato sauce, then you know that it can take a bit of time to make (even though it is considered to be the simplest of her sauce recipes). It tastes phenomenal, but I would rather save it for a Sunday dinner. Here is a ‘weeknight version‘ that’s ready in half the time of the original recipe. The sauce is cooked at a higher temperature but the butter and onion flavours still shine through.

I had never heard of this cake until I discovered it on an Italian website. It’s a layered chocolate sponge cake, slathered with a luscious mixture of chocolate hazelnut spread and mascarpone. It’s very decadent, so a small slice goes a long way.

A true Italian chocolate sponge cake has only four ingredients: eggs, sugar, flour and cocoa powder. It has no fat, no dairy, and no leavening agents. Stiffly beaten egg whites give this cake its’ tall crumb structure, and make it extremely soft, airy, and tender.

Rosa Gemelli

My name is Rosa and I'm the author behind the food blog, For the Love of Italian Cooking. I was born in Canada to Italian immigrants and am now living in Germany with my husband and three boys. I am a former cubicle dweller turned full-time mom, part-time pastry chef and blogger. Please join me as I share stories and recipes of my Italian heritage.